In the Hands of the Black God
by Lady Aescwyn
Summary: Kel, Neal, Raoul, and the Third Company of the King’s Own are ambushed by Scanrans a short distance from New Hope. Now Dom and Kel are at the doors to the Black God's realm... KelDom, NealYuki, post Lady Knight. Blood warning.
1. Ambushed

**In the Hands of the Black God**

**By:** (the somewhat crazy) Lady Aescwyn

**Summary: **Kel, Neal, Raoul, and the third company of the King's Own are ambushed by Scanrans a short distance from New Hope... Kel/Dom, post Lady Knight, short (about four chappies), Romance/Drama.

**Disclaimer:** Honestly, if I owned Tortall (or anything else for that matter), do you really think I would be sitting here writing fan fictions?

**Authors Note: **Yay, my first Tortall fic! Hmmm, this was just a random thought I had while my comp was down and I may not even keep it posted, but I might if enough people like it.

**In the Hands of the Black God**

Tobe sighed and scratched Hoshi's large, chestnut shoulder. Hoshi nickered softly in pleasure and danced happily under him as she trotted to keep up with her stable-mate, Peachblossom, the temperamental strawberry roan war-horse.

Tobe looked up at his riding companions; in front of him, riding Peachblossom, was the Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, Commander of New Hope. Her short, light brown hair gently brushed the nape of her neck as her dreamer's hazel eyes were staring into the distance with an uncharacteristic sparkle of anticipation.

Beside her rode her best friend, Sir Nealan of Queenscove. The green-eyed knight was talking quite animatedly at his friend about his lovely, delicate, virtuous (the list goes on and on, but I don't want to bore you) Yamani flower; the soon to be Lady Yukimi of Queenscove. But, unfortunately for Sir Neal, Lady Kel was far from listening.

Hearing a soft snicker from beside him, Tobe turned to see his final riding buddy; Sir Merric of Hollyrose. The young knight was extremely amused by his friends' behavior. Grinning, he glanced at Tobe before turning back to hear more about the "ravishing Yamani damsel."

Tobe rolled his eyes; Sir Neal was utterly hopeless when it came to his fiancé. Kel was much more interesting to watch; usually her Yamani mask hid any emotions that might give her away, but today nothing could hide the happy sparkle in her eyes, and Tobe knew why.

Today this jolly band were riding out to greet Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak and the Third Company of the King's Own to lead them back to New Hope, where they would stay for a few weeks before continuing south to Corus.

Lady Kel had insisted that they ride out to meet them; things had been quiet at New Hope and she was getting restless. Her excuse was that she wanted to see her knight-master again, but Tobe knew it probably had more to do with a certain sapphire-eyed sergeant in the King's Own...

Tobe ran his fingers through the coarse hair of Hoshi's mane as he thought about Sergeant Domitian of Masbolle. Whenever his Lady Knight was around the man, her carefully guarded emotions couldn't be contained and her happiness became extremely contagious. Of course, it was hard to be anything but happy around Dom (as the sergeant liked to be called). Add in Sir Raoul, Flyndan, Wolset, and the rest of the Third Company and you had quite the party on your hands.

The young boy was drawn out of his thoughts by the sounds of hoof beats and deep voices.

Kel's head snapped up and a smile played on her lips when she heard the familiar voices of Third Company. She urged Peachblossom into a trot and called out a greeting. Neal (finally shutting up about Yamani maidens), Merric, and Tobe followed; grins cracking their faces.

Around a shady bend in the road trotted the travel worn but very happy Third Company, led by Sir Raoul. There were shouts of joy and welcome on both sides ("Meathead!" being the loudest and most ecstatic) as the New Hope riders mingled with the men of the King's Own.

Tobe grinned as one of the younger men ruffled his hair and warmly greeted him; moving his gelding so that Hoshi could walk comfortably in between the man and his friend's steed.

Once everyone was settled, the off-color jokes and renewed praising of Yamani blossoms began.

Tobe remained silent and smiling as he observed the men and conversations going on around him, but his eyes and ears were most often drawn to Kel and Dom. The pair had moved slightly away from the rest as they were completely absorbed in their conversation; their witty banter was dotted with the occasional mention of "Meathead," cheeky remarks from Dom, and Kel's cheerful laughter.

They had been riding for only as short while, but Tobe had become so relaxed that he was only marginally puzzled by the strange buzzing and swishing noises suddenly filling the air. It wasn't until an arrow materialized in the flanks of Dom's mare that he recognized the fear already howling through his body.

Screaming, Dom's mare reared, her eyes rolling in pain and fear. With his mount in such a state, Dom was unable to reach for his weapon as he struggled to calm her. Another arrow whizzed past her face and another embedded itself in the thick muscle of her neck prompting her to bolt madly into the forest with Dom clinging helplessly to her back.

"No! Dom!" Kel was screaming as she had Peachblossom follow the poor mare, despite the fact that she knew they were galloping headlong into the direction of the hostile projectiles. This was _Dom_. She would rather die than to willingly let harm come to him.

The nice young man beside Tobe fell with an arrow in his neck. Tobe could hear himself yelling, but the sound seemed so surreal; almost like it wasn't really happening. He tried to ask Hoshi to follow his Lady Knight, but Hoshi tossed her proud head and refused his commands.

Hoshi scented the air and could easily distinguish the stench of the damned two-legger stallions who were always trying to harm her two-legger mare servant. She snorted angrily, ignoring the pleas of her foal servant; she knew Peachblossom would protect their mare, but she had to get their little colt to safety.

Hoshi darted in between the friendly horses and the dirty, cruel two-legger stallions to take her precious cargo, screaming all the way back to New Hope.

**End of Chapter 1**

Hmmm, I'm still not sure if I should keep going. If I do it'll only be a couple more chapters long. Your opinions would be quite welcome. Oh, and please let me know if I got any of the names wrong, I don't own the books (cries) so I can't check.

Thank you and happy fic reading!


	2. Arrows

**In the Hands of the Black God**

**By:** Lady Aescwyn

**Disclaimer:** (sigh) I don't own anything.

**In the Hands of the Black God**

Dom was clutching desperately to his mare's back. The early autumn scenery dotted with a few Scanrans flashed by in a blur as his mount bucked and galloped wildly. The frantic mare was beyond his ability to calm; he could only hold on and hope to ride it out.

Behind him, Dom could hear a thunderous flurry of hoof-beats that he knew would be Kel and Peachblossom. Further away he could hear screams, war-cries, and the clash of weapons.

Ducking beneath a branch, he clenched his jaw and prayed Kel would go back to aid the others; he would be fine, he told himself. Really he knew that it was futile to hope that Kel would turn back; she cared far more for her companions than she did for her own skin; this was the girl who risked repeating four years of page training to save her _maid_. Still, it didn't hurt to hope-

Dom never got to finish that thought as he blinked in astonishment up at the green and yellow leaves of the forest canopy and he slowly realized he was lying on the ground. What just happened? He tried to get up, but his extremities wouldn't listen to him. He panicked as he tried to breathe, but his lungs wouldn't cooperate either. That's when the pain reached his mind; his body was ringing with a blunt but intense pain and his chest felt like it had been kicked by a horse; a horse with really sharp hooves.

In the air above him materialized an incredibly repulsive looking Scanran, axe poised above his head, ready to end Dom's life.

Dom tried again to make his body spring into action, but it still doggedly refused to even twitch. As a last resort, Dom cried out for help, but the sound wouldn't make it past his closed throat.

Dom was going to die, and he knew it.

Suddenly, the big, reddish underbelly of Peachblossom obscured his vision. The charger leaped over Dom to ram into the Scanran raider with deadly force. The angry gelding trumpeted his displeasure as he pummeled the Scanran into hamburger with a sickening series of crunching sounds.

There was silence for a moment before he heard a woman's voice whisper, "Oh Gods no..." It was Kel; he would know her voice anywhere. He heard leather creak and tack jingle as she dismounted and crunched through the fallen leaves to Dom's side.

As she knelt next to him, her face appeared in his field of vision. He had known that he liked her and that she was an amazing woman, but in that moment he was struck by her beauty as every detail in her face stood out; etching her image into his mind. The way the light freckles were dusted across her cheeks, the way her hair curled the slightest bit behind her ear, the way her long lashes framed her hazel eyes...

Her eyes; there was fear and concern in them as she looked from his face to his chest. He followed her gaze to find something sticking out of his chest; a blackened Scanran arrow. 'Oh. That's why it hurts.' Dom thought offhandedly as his eyes fixed back on Kel. Everything was just so bizarre and dreamlike that he wasn't really sure if it was real.

Kel's trembling hand went to the arrow. Her fingers wrapped around it and she moved it just the slightest bit.

Dom gasped at the sudden stinging, tearing pain in his chest. Chill air flooded into his mouth, bathing his lungs in relief and burning pain all at once. It felt to him like his lungs were ripping themselves to shreds in his chest as he convulsed into a horrific fit of coughing. When he tasted the unmistakable metallic taste of blood on his tongue, he knew beyond a doubt that this was no dream.

He heard her soft voice, "Oh, Mithros. Dom..." When she said his name, he could plainly hear the distress straining her voice. Looking in her eyes again, he was surprised to see tears; her Yamani mask was long gone. Why was she crying? Was it because of him? She couldn't be crying over him...

He felt her warm, calloused hand gently brush a few dark hairs off of his forehead. Her touch was comforting to him despite the persistent pain. Dom felt wetness on his cheek. Was he crying now?

Kel tenderly wiped it away and she looked him in the eyes; he was a little stunned by the fierce determination in her eyes, "Hang on Dom." It was an order, not a request, "I'm getting Neal." Her face was grim as she affectionately touched his cheek one last time.

But when Kel stood, Dom heard the distinctive snap-swish-thud of an arrow leaving its string and finding its mark. A cry of fear clawed its way out of Dom's throat as he could only watch in horror as Kel was knocked from her feet when the arrow slammed into her side.

Kel was stunned for a moment as the pain exploded in her side and the wind was forced out of her lungs when she collided with the ground. Stars and Yamani fireworks were bursting in her vision, but she forced her limbs to move through the veil of pain; she would _not_ die! Dom was depending on her...

Behind Kel was a rapid movement as the enraged Peachblossom sprang toward the enemy; hooves flying and teeth gnashing. The infuriated war-horse voiced his volatile feelings with an unearthly horse-scream that even sent shivers through Kel's spine.

Peachblossom's actions gave Kel the time she needed to clutch her blade, Griffin, in her blood streaked hands and leap at the Scanran raiders. 'First the Scanrans then get Neal.' She told herself as her steel sang through the air with frightening purpose; not one movement was wasted; every swing, twirl, and stab was executed with deadly accuracy.

Dom could only watch in heartbreaking agony as the enemy swarmed Kel and Peachblossom. His treacherous body still refused to obey him. He so wanted to help her, to save her, but he was forced to only watch as each Scanran cut down was immediately replaced by another.

Dom could definitely feel the dampness on his face now as the cursed tears found their way down his cheeks, but that wasn't the only wetness on his skin now; blood was everywhere. Kel and Scanran blood drenched everything, even saturating the air it seemed. The early morning light that found its way past the yellowing leaves illuminated the spinning trails of blood. Every bit of arterial spray and castoff looked like fiery ribbons of life-blood careening through space and every little droplet was a precious ruby falling to earth.

After what might have been an eternity or perhaps only a minute, the last Scanran was felled. A heavy silence reigned supreme as Kel lurched back to Dom's side. She stumbled, falling to her knees with Griffon dropping into the soft loam nearby. Dom's heart leapt into his throat as he watched Kel grasp the bolt in her side with both of her quaking hands to tear it free. Her agonizing whimper broke Dom's heart; he could physically feel it being crushed in his chest.

Her eyes were filled with poignant sorrow and her lower lip trembled as she looked at Dom, "I-I'm so, so sorry..." she whispered to him before collapsing.

"No! No..." Dom sobbed, "Kel, don't die." He cursed his unfaithful body again as he struggled to move his left arm. It seemed to take forever, but finally he was clasping hands with her. Using what little strength he had left, he squeezed her hand comfortingly, "Please Kel, wake up..."

Peachblossom uttered a pitiful whinny as he nudged Kel gently as if to say, "Get up."

Dom called Peachblossom's name quietly. The gelding turned his intelligent, chocolaty brown eyes on the man, stepped over too him, and softly whuffed Dom's dark hair. "Get Neal." Dom choked out. Peachblossom snorted and disappeared leaving only the fading sound of his cantering hoof-beats.

Dom looked back at Kel; he couldn't make out whether or not her chest was moving and her face was turned away. He could only gaze at where her perfect jaw line met the graceful arc of her neck. "Please..." he murmured as he stroked the back of her cold, unmoving hand with his thumb, "Don't leave me..."

**End of Chapter 2**

Hmmm, I'm still not sure whether to keep it up... Well, I wonder what's going to happen. Will Peachblossom be able to get Neal to understand him? Will Neal make it in time? Will Kel and Dom survive? Is Kel even still alive? All will be revealed in time... maybe... if I continue...

Thank you again for reading and as always your reviews are loved!


	3. Help

**In the Hands of the Black God**

**By:** Lady Aescwyn

**Disclaimer: **The day Dom jumps out of Lady Knight and starts snogging me will be the day I own Tortall... I'm not holding my breath.

**In the Hands of the Black God**

The fight didn't last long.

By the time the first volley of arrows was over, the Third Company and the New Hope knights had regained their composure. There was the clear ringing of drawn weapons and the deep voice of Sir Raoul barking orders. The men slid easily into action, surrounding and crushing the enemy. Neal's sword was drawn and he cut down a Scanran as another one attempting to pull him from the saddle was dragged under his mount's hooves.

And all of a sudden it was over. Breathing heavily, the men rallied back on the road, two men were dead and several were injured. Raoul ordered Merric and Wolset to take a head count while Neal put his Gift to use. Neal was doing a quick patch job on one of the men (it wasn't perfect but it would hold on the short ride to New Hope) when Wolset and Merric returned, "Reilly and Thatcher are dead, Sir." growled Wolset through clenched teeth.

Merric's voice was tight, "Tobe is missing. Sergeant Domitian's horse bolted during the skirmish and I saw Lady Kel follow him. Everyone else is accounted for, Sir."

One of the other men spoke up, "Sir, I saw the boy's horse taking him back to New Hope," the man's smile was grim, "against his will."

Sir Raoul's frown was dark as he took all this in, "Our first priorities are the injured; we have to get them to Duke Baird and the healers in New Hope. Dom and Kel may already be there. If not," Raoul's glare was forbidding as he turned his restless mount, "we _will_ find them."

When the Third Company arrived in New Hope, healers were ready for them as Tobe had made it home safely thanks to Hoshi. But when Neal looked around, he couldn't find the two people he was most worried about at the moment. In the buzzing activity, Neal spotted Mistress Fanche. He dismounted and sprinted over to her, "Fanche!" he called out, "Have Kel or Sergeant Dom shown up?"

The lady shook her head dourly, "If they didn't come in with you I don't know where they are."

Neal was thanking her when he was interrupted by Tobe, "Sir Neal! Where's Lady Kel? Is she here? Is she alright?"

"Tobe, I don't know. I..." Neal was interrupted again, this time by himself as he involuntarily squealed and jumped. Spinning around and rubbing his behind, he ended up face to face with big velvety brown eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Peachblossom!" cried Tobe. "Wait, where's Lady Kel?"

Peachblossom snorted and ignored the foal as he leapt again at his squeaker toy, catching the young green-eyed stallion's foreleg in his teeth. Any other time he would have been thoroughly amused by the squeals and silly antics of his toy, but he was on a mission now.

Using the foreleg he had in his mouth as leverage, Peachblossom pushed his toy up against his side. The two-legger stallion stared back at him, green eyes wide with apprehension and confusion. Stupid friggin' two-legger! Peachblossom resisted the urge to bite him again and only nudged him lightly into the saddle.

Tobe's eyebrows were raised, "He wants you to ride him, Sir..."

Neal couldn't stop his voice from squeaking when he replied, "ME? Ride THAT?" The horse responded with a menacing rumble in his chest and a wicked glint in his eye, frightening Neal into submitting and climbing into the saddle.

Merric was attempting to calm his gelding when he spotted Neal riding back out through the gates on... was that Peachblossom? Where was Kel? And what in the hells was Neal doing riding that demon horse? He spun his horse to follow his friend.

Neal had no idea that Peachblossom was this alarming to ride; it was like trying to ride a landslide. Neal had to concentrate on simply hanging on, but as he did, he had a newfound respect for Kel. Far behind him, he heard what he thought was Merric's voice calling his name, but he didn't want to risk a look to find out.

Neal had no control over Peachblossom, but he seemed to know where he was going; he took them back towards the ambush site, but before they reached it, he took a sharp right into the thick forest. The underbrush slowed Peachblossom down, allowing Merric to catch up, but he never once faltered on the journey.

Both Merric and his steed were breathless by the time they finally caught up to Peachblossom, "What in all the Black God's realms Neal?! Did someone knock you in the head? We have to go back, now! They need you to... to... oh Mithros..." he trailed off as they came to a blood-soaked clearing.

Neal's jaw dropped; everything was coated in blood, even the leaves of the trees above his head dripped the crimson liquid. The forest floor was carpeted with bodies and the air stank of blood and death. Merric's mount rolled his eyes in unease, but Peachblossom had yet to stop; he just walked over the bodies, crushing them with reckless abandon until he came to the center of the glade, where he finally halted and gently butted the head of one of the bodies.

Neal and Merric were so stunned; they barely noticed when their mount's stopped. "Mithros, what happened here?" whispered Merric.

"I..." Neal was, for once, at a loss for words until he looked down and recognized two of the bodies. "Oh, Gods no!" he gasped as he jumped from Peachblossom's back.

"What?!" asked a startled Merric. As he watched Neal check two of the bodies for signs of life he recognized them too, "Kel!" Merric leaped from his horse as he watched his friend kneel next to the fallen Sergeant and Lady Knight. "Are they...?" he asked uncertainly.

Neal shook his head and opened his mouth but was cut off by a quiet voice speaking in almost a whisper, "Neal?" It was Dom. Now Neal was really frightened; he couldn't remember the last time Dom had called him by his real name.

"I'm here Dom." Neal put his palm to his cousin's forehead, but drew back quickly; Dom was burning up.

"There were... Scanrans... and... Kel was... help Kel... Neal?" moaned Dom brokenly.

"Shh, calm down Dom." Neal turned to Merric who was already mounting up, "Get my father and any one else you possibly can." Merric nodded as he spurred his horse into action. Once his friend was gone, Neal removed his cloak and covered Kel with it before going back to Dom.

The arrow in Dom's chest was covered with a sticky, black substance; poison. If he wanted to save Dom he had to remove it now. He reached a hand under Dom's back to try to feel for the arrowhead. If he found it he could snap off the fletching and push the arrow through, but unfortunately the head was buried deep inside Dom's chest cavity, meaning he would have to pull it out. "Dom?" he said softly as he touched his cousin's damp, sweaty hair, "Dom, I have to take out the arrow. Do you understand me?" Dom nodded the slightest bit. Neal took off his leather baldric and put it in Dom's mouth, "Bite down on this." He said.

Finally, turning to the bolt, Neal put his left hand on Dom's chest at the base of where the arrow had penetrated the skin. He grasped the shaft of the arrow in his right hand, trying not to jolt it too much, but despite his effort, his light touch sent a wave of pain wracking through Dom's body. He waited a moment, than looked into Dom's blue eyes, "Are you ready?" Dom clenched his jaw in response.

Neal nodded to reassure himself and then he took a deep breath, reaching inside of himself for the green fire. His gift flowed out of his left hand and down the arrow into Dom's chest, numbing some of the pain and separating the wood from the flesh. In one steady movement, Neal used his right hand to pull the arrow out of his cousin's chest.

Dom bit through the leather and screamed in terrifying anguish. Neal wanted to try to comfort him, but he knew he needed to stop the hemorrhaging. Ripping off his tunic, he pressed it against the hole to stop the flow. He took what was left of the belt out of Dom's mouth.

Neal had seen injured and grown men crying before, but it upset him to watch the tears streaming down the cheeks of the usually happy Dom. His voice caught in his throat when he asked, "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Dom shook his head a little as he started to drift into mercifully painless unconsciousness, but Neal heard his last few heart-wrenching whispers, "Kel? Come back... please..."

**End of Chapter 3**

Ooooh, another cliffie.

**Lady Kate of Queenscove**: Yay! My first reviewer! (cue fireworks and confetti) Thank you and I hope you liked the update. :)

**insane-i don't think so**: Thanks for your review! I just hope I can keep up the drama/suspense for the last few chappies; I've never been very good at that. I hope you enjoyed the update!

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**: Oh, good, I'm glad that the characters are in character; (sweat drop) I haven't read the books in so long that I was afraid that I would forget something critical... Thanks so much for reviewing!

**Katty008**: Heh, this is the first time I've ever written something morbid; I was trying to be realistic... Well, as realistic as one can be considering I've never been in a situation like this. Lol. I hope you like this chapter and thank you for your review!


	4. Nightmare

**In the Hands of the Black God**

**By:** Lady Aescwyn

**Disclaimer:** (is staring at the book Lady Knight) ... Nope, no Dom yet...

**In the Hands of the Black God**

"Dom? ...Is it you?"

"I'm here Kel..."

"Where... are we?"

"I... I don't know..."

"It... hurts... so much..."

"I know, just hang on... for a little while longer."

"I... don't think... that I can... Dom..."

"Please, stay with me Kel..."

"Dom..."

"Kel?"

"I'm... so sorry..."

"Kel!"

---

Dom blinked, trying to make out his surroundings, but there really wasn't much to see; just flat, gray, barren ground stretching from horizon to horizon. He turned in circles looking for _something_, but there was nothing, no buildings, no trees, no people. Even the sky was gray. The air was stark and it scorched Dom's lungs. Where was he?

Then, suddenly, Dom felt an ominous presence behind him. He whirled to find an unnaturally tall, mysterious, cloaked figure. There was nothing to see beneath its cowl, just a cold, life-sucking blackness. The figure cast out a dark power, but he didn't move; it just leached out of him. It pressed down on Dom, nearly bringing him to his knees.

It was the Black God himself...

Then, Dom noticed something in the God's arms... No, it was _someone_... His breath caught in his throat and his heart nearly stopped: It was Kel.

But she didn't look right. Her skin was so pale; it didn't have the warm, honey-like glow it should have. And she was so thin; almost emaciated. But the most terrifying thing was her eyes; they were wide and staring... and emotionless.

She was dead.

"No..." Dom choked through his tears and without thinking, he lunged at the God. He knew he would stand no chance against a God, but he would not let Kel die. He would defy a God for her; anything for Kel... He tried to reach for her, but before he could, the God was gone and Kel with him. The ground went out from beneath Dom's feet and the world around him dissolved into blackness; he was falling through darkness...

---

(A few days later at New Hope)

Wearily, Neal reached over and lightly blotted the sweat off of his cousin's forehead; he had removed the arrow, stopped the flow of blood, and closed the wound, but he couldn't draw out the poison. Damn those Scanran mages! They had added an element of their gift to the poison that made it impossible to draw out if a healer tried to use their own magic. That meant Dom and the rest of the injured would have to sweat it out.

Three more had already been lost.

Dom's eyes flickered wildly behind his eyelids, his breathing was rapid and shallow, and he was drenched in sweat. He had been fighting the fever for three days now with no improvement, he had only gotten worse. Despite the warm room and the blankets covering him, Dom was shivering uncontrollably as the sickness sapped his strength and systematically drained his life force.

Dom's mouth moved and a hoarse, raspy sound came out; Neal knew he was calling for _her_, but his screaming and moaning for three straight days had stolen his voice and left his lips brutally cracked and bleeding. He hadn't been lucid since he lost consciousness back in the bloody hollow and ever since then he had been having horrible dreams and hallucinating, all the while calling for Kel.

Neal was startled by a slow creaking sound. He turned to see a striking woman with long ebon hair reaching past her waist. Her skin was as cream and her dark almond eyes gazed at him fondly through long, dark lashes. "Yukimi." Neal whispered her name.

The woman simply smiled lovingly as she leaned her weight against the door frame, "Please, my love, you know to call me Yuki."

Exhausted, Neal only nodded as he looked back to his cousin. Yuki's smile disappeared as she padded silently over to her fiancé, "How is he?" she asked.

Neal bit his lip as he shook his head bitterly, "No better."

Sitting down beside him, Yuki squeezed his arm reassuringly, "He will be. These will not their deathbeds." she said with all the confidence demanded of her position as a noblewoman. Neal didn't reply, he couldn't, he could only look into the deep pools of her eyes; there was love in them and pride, but there was also fatigue that could not be masked by any amount of Yamani upbringing. She had barely slept in three days. Yuki did not have the gift, but she would not stand by helplessly to watch people die; she had lent her services as a nurse to the New Hope healers.

Yuki was worried by the hopelessness she saw creeping it's way into Neal's face, so she smiled and using all of her Yamani training to mask the tremor in her voice, she said, "Besides, he is related to you is he not? The men of your family are far too stubborn to die on any terms other than their own." she grinned, "And I think the Black God himself would not be able to stand your cousin's cheekiness."

The thought of Dom calling the Black God names and being subsequently exiled from his realm, made Neal chuckle, but that quickly turned to tears. Neal was mortified at the thought of weeping in front of Yuki and he was appalled at himself, but he couldn't stop. Yuki didn't say a word as she silently drew him into her arms. "I'm sorry." He said, trying to wipe away the tears, but she stopped him.

She took his hand from his face to hold it in hers, "It is good to cry sometimes; it reminds you that you are human." she ran her fingers through his hair, "And to be human is to be divine." he rested his head in her lap, "Sleep now, love. Sleep and tomorrow will be a new day."

**End of Chapter 4**

Aww, Neal/Yuki fluff. :) I can't remember whether or not Yuki has the gift, but in this story she doesn't. I think the end of this chapter is kinda corny though, what do you think?

Grrrr! This chapter pissed me off! It ended up being much shorter than intended, it used to be longer, but I didn't like what I wrote so I kept rewriting it but it never came out the way I wanted it too! GRRRR! (Lady Aescwyn stabs the chapter) Ha! Take that!

**x17SkmBdrchiczxx**: Hmmm, well, I can't tell you if they will live, but I will tell you that there will probably only be one more chapter... Thanks so much for your review!

**insane-i don't think so**: I think the gruesomeness is pretty much over... How am I doing with the drama and suspense? Many thank yous for your review!

**Feed The Foxes**: THANK YOU! I HOPE YOU LIKED THE UPDATE!

**mysticvysgiyi**: Thank you! Lol, one of the reasons I wrote this was because I wanted to work on my descriptiveness for my honors English class next fall. Sorry about the short chapters, I really don't have the patience to write epic sized ones (sweat drop)... Thanks again!

**Lady Kate of Queenscove**: Thanks for another review! I liked writing the part with Peachblossom. :) Hey, if you liked that, you might like "From the Horse's Mouth" by Fantasizing-Lady-Knight, its a little KelDom ficlet as told from Peachblossom's POV, and it's in my favorites if you wanted to check it out. Thank you again!

**xBxAxMx**: Thank you for your review! I can't tell you yet whether they will live, but there is only one chappie left (unless I'm persuaded otherwise). I hope you liked this update!


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